On the Grand Line, a giant whale pulled a ship swiftly across the sea. On the ship's deck, Capone "Gang" Bege, bandaged but recovering, reclined in a chair, cultivating his strength. Beside him lay a small giant, even more thoroughly bandaged: Gekko Moria.
Following the battle on Whiteleaf Island, the entirety of the Moria Pirates had submitted to Bege. Moria's pirate ship and the vast majority of his crew had been absorbed into Bege's internal castle.
Moria now understood Bege's Devil Fruit abilities and his ambitions. For the moment, at least, he seemed genuinely loyal to Bege.
Bege had also revealed his reasons for seeking out Moria. He had learned from Moria that it was possible to insert shadows into Bege's body, thereby enhancing his power.
However, Moria had also warned Bege of the extreme danger involved in forcing others' shadows into his body. It required the user to possess immense spiritual power – enough to suppress the shadows. If he failed, the shadows would backlash, with potentially disastrous consequences. The greater the number of absorbed shadows, the more unbearable the repercussions.
This solidified Bege's plan to keep Moria's shadow collection as a last resort, a desperate gamble for ultimate power.
"Godfather, there's a battle going on to the port side!" the lookout in the crow's nest shouted down to Bege.
"Yes! A chance to fight!" Hank did a flip from the second level, landing in front of Bege with eager anticipation. "Godfather, let's go check it out!"
"Tell Laboon to change course. We're going to join the fun," Bege said.
"I'm on it!" Hank sprinted to the edge of the ship and leaped onto Laboon, relaying the new direction.
"Moria, looks like some shadows are coming our way. I hope they're not too weak," Bege chuckled.
Moria nodded. Bege had told him about his plan to collect the shadows of others, storing them for later absorption.
Their target was the shadows of the strong. The stronger the shadow, the greater the power boost upon absorption. Of course, suppressing stronger shadows also required a correspondingly greater spiritual strength.
Laboon quickly carried them to the site of the naval battle. As they approached, they saw that the combatants were pirates and Marines.
The Marines were at a disadvantage, their warship ablaze from cannon fire.
"Should we wait until the Marines are wiped out before we make our move?" Moria asked.
"No need. We're bounty hunters for now, remember? We should be on good terms with the Marines," Bege replied with a grin.
Moria nodded again. "Should I intervene?"
"No, you need to remain hidden for now. Go hide," Bege ordered.
Moria turned and entered the ship's cabin, his subordinate combatants following him inside.
"Men, prepare for boarding action!" Bege roared, and his disciples eagerly cracked their knuckles.
When Laboon's massive form rapidly approached the two ships, both the pirates and the Marines aboard were visibly shaken. Sea Kings were a terrifying presence on the open ocean.
"Lieutenant Commander Enkishi, there's a ship behind that Sea King! It's being pulled by the Sea King!" a Marine shouted urgently.
"Quick, see who it is!"
"They don't have a pirate flag; they're not pirates!"
The Lieutenant Commander's expression relaxed slightly. "Give me the spyglass."
He examined Bege's ship through the spyglass, spotting Bege and the others, all wearing masks, standing at the ship's railing.
"No pirate flag... They're not pirates?"
"Lieutenant Commander, they're not heading for us! They're going after the Blue Scorpion Pirates!" another Marine reported.
The Lieutenant Commander quickly looked again and confirmed that Bege's ship was rapidly approaching the Blue Scorpion pirate ship.
The Blue Scorpion Pirates, seeing Bege's ship approaching and realizing their hostile intent, immediately opened fire, trying to sink Bege's vessel.
Modi, standing at the bow, leaped into the air. He drew his longsword, unleashing a flurry of slashing attacks that bisected the incoming cannonballs, causing them to explode harmlessly. The projectiles couldn't even get close to the ship.
The ship quickly closed in on the Blue Scorpion vessel. Hank and Sam, unable to contain their excitement, leaped onto the enemy ship.
"Bege, you're still recovering. Don't push yourself. Leave them to us," Modi said to Bege before jumping onto the Blue Scorpion's deck.
Bege remained on the ship's railing, observing the battle on the Blue Scorpion pirate ship.
The Blue Scorpion's captain, with a bounty of 90 million, was no match for Modi. After only a few exchanges, Modi captured him. The battle ended swiftly.
Bege boarded the Blue Scorpion's ship. Sam immediately ran over, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Godfather, that Hank kid got hurt! Some small-fry pirate hit him in the shoulder."
"You bastard, Sam!" Hank glared at Sam, who burst into laughter.
Hank's arm was bleeding; he'd been shot during the fight. Bege glanced at Hank, who immediately lowered his head.
"Hank, you shouldn't have been injured. Go get that treated."
Hank obediently returned to their ship.
"Loot the treasure on the ship. Take anyone with a bounty, and leave the rest to the Marines," Bege said calmly.
The Blue Scorpion Pirates' treasure was plundered and loaded onto Bege's ship. Laboon then towed the Blue Scorpion's ship closer to the Marine warship, causing the Marines to jump in alarm.
They braced themselves for a potential attack.
Bege used Soru to appear on the Marine warship, startling the Marines, who pointed their guns at him.
"No need to be alarmed. We are the Masked Bounty Hunter Group. We only kill pirates. There are still plenty of pirates without bounties on the Blue Scorpion's ship. We'll leave them to you." With that, Bege vanished from the warship, and Laboon quickly pulled their ship away.
"The Masked Bounty Hunter Group... They're the ones who took down the Supernova, the Ferocious Crocodile Pirates! We're saved!" Someone on the Marine ship finally recognized Bege's group, and the Marines erupted in cheers, relieved to have escaped with their lives.
The Lieutenant Commander looked at the group of terrified pirates on the Blue Scorpion's ship, a hint of frustration in his eyes. They didn't bother with pirates without bounties, leaving the Marines to clean up the mess.
This fleeting feeling of annoyance quickly vanished, and he barked orders to the Marines to board the ship and detain the pirates.
Moria emerged from the cabin, observing Modi and the others. They were spotless, as if they hadn't even been in a fight. He said in a deep voice, "Your disciples are very strong."
"Of course. You can't become a conqueror on this sea without exceptional companions," Bege laughed heartily.
Moria nodded in agreement. Seeing the outstanding performance of his own subordinates, a smile also appeared on his face.
"Moria, it's your turn."
Moria, holding his large scissors, snipped the shadows from the Blue Scorpion captain and a few of the combatants, holding them in his hand.
"The others are too weak. Their shadows aren't worth taking," Moria said.
Bege nodded. With a wave of his hand, Modi swiftly eliminated the remaining Blue Scorpion Pirates, leaving no survivors.
Moria held the five shadows, which were still struggling. A gate opened in Bege's chest, and Moria tossed the shadows inside.
Once inside the castle, the shadows were immediately subdued and locked in a pitch-black room where one couldn't see their own hand in front of their face.
This was a room Bege had specifically designed for storing shadows.